With little over one year remaining to meet the millennium development goals target, the new government data paints a grim picture on maternal health condition, putting a question mark over country’s efforts to save lives of new mothers.

The population monograph of Nepal, which was released by the government today, shows that the maternal mortality ratio stands at 480 per 100,000 live births. According to National Demographic Health Survey figure presented in 2006, country’s MMR was 281, significantly down from 539 in 1996.

The new data puts in doubt the reliability of NDHS 2006 figure. If that figure is considered correct, it means that all efforts to improve maternal health since 2006 have been in vain.

Going by the new ratio calculated from the census data, Goal No 5 of the MDG – 75 per cent reduction in the number of maternal deaths by 2015 – is far from being achieved.  Nepal is supposed to decrease maternal mortality ratio to 134 per 100,000 live births by 2015 to meet MDG target reports The Himalayan Times.